Act V (8 page)

“
Okay,” Addison looked at
the wine bottle and the wine glass sitting on the table. “They
printed the bottle and the glass. The guy was stabbed once that we
know of.” He moved the man’s shirt away from the wound with a pen.
“He spilled some wine and got stabbed in the belly. Probably hurt
like a son-of-a-gun and he died slowly. Why didn’t he call for
help?”

“
Was the killer standing
there waiting for him to die the whole time?” Brice asked. “If so,
it’s like he or she knew when the rest of the family would be back,
and how much time he had.”

“
I got a better question for
ya’,” Addison broke in. “Aside from our friend the psychic and her
timely prediction, what’s so bizarre about a stab wound and some
spilled wine?”

Brice, who had wandered around the back
of the chair and was kneeling on the floor, answered his partner.
“How many stab wounds have you seen where the murder weapon also
passes through the back of the chair the vic is sitting
in?”

“
Holy handlebars!” Addy
remarked. “You mean he was impaled, pinned to the
chair?”

The two other detectives nodded. They’d
already seen it.

“
I think it’s time we talked
to our Ms. Nuckolls,” Brice added.

“
Yeah,” said Paddix, “Let’s
find out how she
really
knew about the Danning murder before it happened.”

*****

They drove directly to Glynnis
Nuckolls’ home, twenty minutes from the murder site. It was a
single story ranch house with a slab porch up front and a sun deck
combined with a screen porch in the back. The sun deck naturally
had stairs, but the slab porch was equipped with a wheel chair
ramp. Glynnis had purchased it that way.

“
Do you think she lives with
elderly parents or grandparents?” Brice asked nodding toward the
ramp.

“
Not the impression I got.
House is listed in her name anyway.” Addison rang the bell. “Do you
think she’s our killer?”

“
Not likely. How much upper
body strength does it take to run somebody through with a sword…if
that’s what it was? Still, she knows something. Maybe she really is
clairvoyant.”

Addison made a rude noise in his
throat. “And maybe I’m gonna be the next governor of South
Carolina.”

“
Invite me to the mansion
for drinks?”

The door opened and Glynnis Nuckolls
appeared. She had dark circles under her eyes and a bouncing,
barking pooch under one arm. “Come on in, Detectives,” she motioned
to the entryway. “Coffee’s on. Would you like some?”

“
You don’t seem surprised to
see us, Ms. Nuckolls,” Addison pointed out as they followed her to
the den.

She indicated a couch and a couple of
worn, but comfortable looking recliners. “Please. Why would I be
surprised? I told you yesterday this would happen.”

She had a point. “So you did.” Brice
sat on the couch beside Addison while Glynnis went to bring in
coffee. The dog began to sniff at both men, obviously friendly and
very curious. Brice bent down to stroke his back.

“
Do you take cream and
sugar?” she asked, coming back in with a tray. “I like mine black,
but I can get you some.” Brice declined the cream and sugar but
Addison loaded his up. “Carl,” she commanded the dog. “Down! Come
sit with me.” Carl wagged his whole backside and went to sit on the
floor beside Glynnis. He was up and sniffing again seconds later.
“Sorry, we’re still working on the obedience thing. I think Carl is
winning.”

“
He’s okay,” Brice said
quickly. “I don’t mind dogs.” He was trying to maintain a
professional distance, after all, they were here to question her in
a murder case, but he was strangely drawn to her. Yes, she had a
pair of legs that wouldn’t quit, which were shown to advantage with
those tan shorts she was wearing, but that wasn’t really it. It was
more the way she invited them in without ceremony and treated them
as if they were welcome, not the intruders they undoubtedly
were.

Addison started. “Just to confirm what
we talked about yesterday, Ms. Nuckolls, did you know Claude
Danning?”

“
No.”

“
Have you ever met the
man?”

“
I saw him for the first
time at my friend’s wedding shower a few days ago. I didn’t even
speak to him. We’ve never officially met.”

“
Do you know any of his
family members?”

“
No. Look, I told you
already.”

“
Yes ma’am, it’s just that
the sooner we eliminate you as a suspect, the easier this will be.
Have you ever met anybody in the family prior to the wedding shower
a few days ago?”

“
No, I haven’t, and for the
record, I was here last night, all night. I can give you a list of
people I talked to on the phone if you want…on my landline,” she
added before they could mention the cell, then she stared at both
men. “Was I right about the sword?” She asked, sipping her coffee.
“And the wine?”

“
The murder weapon wasn’t
left at the scene, Ms. Nuckolls.” Addison responded. “But there was
wine spilled everywhere.” He leaned forward. “How did you
know?”

She sat her coffee cup down with a thud
and a splash. “You still don’t believe me? I tried to stop it. I
tried to do the right thing and stop it from happening, but you
wouldn’t listen and now I’m the one in trouble.” Carl barked and
backed up to his mistress as if to protect her. “Sit. Good
boy.”

Brice thought it might be time to try a
little diplomacy. “Nobody is in trouble here. If it makes you feel
any better, Ms. Nuckolls, um, Glynnis, I did drive by the house
several times last night before going home. Nothing out of the
ordinary happened. Time of death was estimated between 8p.m. and
11:30. It happened while his wife and kids were gone to a
movie.”

“
Oh no,” Glynnis dropped her
head into her hands. “To come home and find your husband your
father like that… oh dear Lord…”

Brice stood up and handed her a tissue
from the box on the end table. “Danning was their stepfather. They
lost their real father a short time ago.”

Glynnis shook her head. “That’s right,
I remember my friend told me that. Poor kids…to lose them
both.”

Brice agreed with a nod. “We were
hoping you could give us any details you might have recalled since
we talked.” He sat back down. “Anything you can remember, no matter
how small or insignificant it might seem to you, would
help.”

Glynnis wiped her eyes and nose and
tossed the tissue onto the small coffee table between them. “I had
the dream again last night. That was the third time so I knew it
had happened or would happen soon. I remembered more than the last
two times. Then I saw the news this morning.” She let her voice
trail off and took another sip of coffee. “I can’t think of
anything else important to tell you. Except…would a description of
the sword help?”

“
You can describe it?”
Addison looked surprised.

“
Well, remember this is a
dream and not everything in the dream is always real. Sometimes
it’s symbolic, sometimes not. But I can tell you what I
saw.”

“
We’re all ears.” Brice told
her and took out a notepad.

“
Do you know anything about
swords?” she asked.

Addison shrugged and lifted a bushy
eyebrow. “They’re sharp and they hurt if you get cut with
one.”

It was the first time he’d shown her a
sense of humor without barbs attached and Glynnis had to smile.
“Okay, basically, early swords were meant for cutting and slicing.
The point was sort of rounded but the sides were sharp. You would
attack a person’s torso, neck, arms or legs hoping to do damage.”
She grabbed a broom from a closet and pointed to Brice. “Stand up.”
He did. “If I sliced at you with a sword using a sweeping motion,
like this…” she indicated a crossways movement toward his arm with
the broom. “How would you defend yourself?”

Brice shrugged. “Didn’t they use
shields?”

She was pleased and showed him with a
smile. “Right! So if you had to hold a shield in one hand, you’ve
only got one hand left for your own sword. See?” She pantomimed
holding a shield and sword. “That kind of sword had to be light
enough to handle with one hand.”

Addison nodded. “That makes sense. How
do you know all this anyway?”

She gave him a direct and somber stare.
“I didn’t dream it if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“
No, I just wondered how a
woman that obviously doesn’t go around collecting implements of
warfare would have gathered this much background about
swords.”

“
Okay, fair enough,” she
acknowledged. “I’m a director, executive director of the Clearview
Players, but I imagine you’ve already found that out. We’re the
only professional troupe in town. I specialize in Shakespeare
though we do a little bit of everything. Naturally, if you do
Shakespeare, you have to know something about swords.”

Brice and Addison both nodded. “Okay,
go on then.” Addison prompted.

“
Anyway, as armor became
more sophisticated, the need to carry a shield became less
important. That left both hands open for weapons. Swords that were
heavier but could be thrust through chinks or between plates in the
armor, or maybe through the armor itself, were developed. The long
sword was held in two hands and had a very pointed tip that could
impale one’s opponent.” She pretended to jab the broom handle
toward Brice’s midsection.

He only flinched a little, letting out
an “Oof!” and reddened when he did.

“
In addition, many swords
were designed to be decorative as well as functional.” She put down
the broom. “The one I dreamed about looked like a dragon. The tail
made up the handle and the wings spread out to make the
guard.”

Brice sat back down and held up one
hand. “Do you mean to say that the guy we’.3re looking for had a
real medieval long sword that looks like a dragon?”

She lifted one shoulder. “I
don’t know if it’s the real thing or not. I’m not an expert, I just
know some history. It could be an authentic replica, or one of
those pieces of junk you buy off the internet, but it would have to
be strong enough to stab the guy. Not only that, but if it’s real,
it would be very heavy and hard to handle.” She drained the
remaining coffee from her cup. “And don’t forget what I said about
symbolism. It might just be my brain’s way of interpreting
something completely different from a sword. I just don’t know. But
if it is a real 16
^th
century long sword, well, it’s worth some money.”
She stared at both detectives to see if they were following her
train of thought. Both nodded. “I wouldn’t have left it behind
either.”

*****

“
Are you buying any of
this?” Addison asked Brice as they drove back to the
station.

Brice had been asking himself the same
question. “I can’t figure out how she knew all that stuff
beforehand if she’s not the real thing. Plus, she comes off as
honest. I don’t think she’s lying to us. Holding something back,
maybe.” He turned toward the station. “What’s your
take?”

“
She’s got no motive that we
know of, but she’s got no real alibi either. Phone calls aren’t too
reliable. They can be rerouted if you know how.” He shook his head.
“Maybe she’s straight. But there’s something she’s not
saying.”

*****

Glynnis sat down and held onto Carl who
was whimpering because his new friends had left. “That went okay,
don’t you think?” She rubbed the ridge of fur on his neck. “I still
didn’t tell them about my theory. It’s just a stupid idea, and I
don’t want to send them off on some wild goose chase. It probably
has nothing to do with any of this. It’s just my overactive
imagination. Right?”

Carl yawned luxuriously, tucked his
nose into the crevice of her elbow and went to sleep.

“
Thanks for being so
helpful.”

*****

“
Okay, based on a quick
background check, it looks like our girl is telling the truth about
her lack of connections to the Danning family.” Addison took a bite
of a roast beef on rye with a touch of mustard. “That new deli’s
pretty good.” He swallowed. “Here’s something interesting. It seems
that Hawkins and Handy did uncover something from their interview
with Mrs. Danning.”

“
And…” Brice took a bite of
his own sandwich and waited for the revelation.

“
And…it looks like Mrs.
Gloria Danning has the same routine every Friday night. She takes
the kids out for supper and a movie followed by a trip to Moo Juice
for ice cream. Usually gets home between eleven-thirty and
twelve.”

“
So anybody that watched her
for a few weeks would know when Danning was in the house alone. You
suppose there’s any chance she might have slipped out of the movie
and done this herself?”

“
Probably not, there’s the
weight issue. She’s not nearly big enough to handle a long sword,
if that’s what it was. Plus, there wasn’t enough time for her to
get home and back without the kids thinking something was
up.”